technology

what your liability policy probably doesn’t cover

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insurance company beats accountant in court over lost client data. how to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

in yet another warning to firms about safeguarding client databases, insurance policies won’t necessarily protect you if the data gets lost or stolen, according to a 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reading of a new legal case.

the highly influential u.s. court of appeals for the seventh has ruled that nationwide insurance co. has no duty to defend or indemnify an accountant who lost sensitive personal information from client files.

here’s the case, analysis and comment: read more →

three strategies to improve buy-in for change

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feeling the frustration?

by dustin hostetler
flowtivity

dustin hostetler

how many times has your cpa firm implemented a process change or new technology, only to find out on the back-end after implementation, that only a fraction of the firm is following the new process or using all the features?

related: the coming storm in staff turnover (video)

if you answered something along the lines of “all the time” don’t worry, you are not alone. obtaining the much needed buy-in for process and technology improvements within firms is a concern i hear regularly. read more →

hackers show how to break into major accounting software systems

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the hacker transfers receivables credit balances to payables in gp dynamics (from the white paper)

pro members: get the details in an instant download.

by rick telberg

when finance and accounting professionals worry about computer security, they may think about stolen laptops, purloined passwords, or lost backup drives.

but few worry about hacker attacks against their accounting system software, the kind of attacks that could bring down an entire business or even up-end part of the global accounting system.

well, start worrying.

a pair of computer science security experts has unveiled new research that shows just how easy it might be to crack into such commonly used software systems as sap, oracle, or even quickbooks, sage or microsoft’s dynamics.

get the details in an instant download. click here…

read more →

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 analysis: 40% of firms going to the cloud

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new data and analysis cited in cch cloud technology report.

accounting, tax and audit leaders are using cloud computing to improve speed, agility and collaboration, while also increasing productivity and profits, according to a new report on technology trends.

rick telberg
rick telberg

nearly 40 percent of accounting and tax firms plan to migrate some systems to the cloud within the next 12 to 18 months, and about one-third plan to do so this year, according to market research and consulting firm bay street group, which publishes 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间. as recently as two years ago, the adoption rate was in the single digits. “the environment is changing rapidly,” ceo rick telberg points out. the research is cited in the latest edition of partners magazine, published by cch.

the report also cites data and case studies from tribridge it services in tampa, fla.; stambaugh ness cpas of york, pa.; steven brewer & co. cpas of salem, ind.; gamble & livingston cpas of myrtle beach, s.c.; and david bergstein, cpa, citp, director of strategic relations for wolters kluwer.

instant download: click here to get the full report (pdf). read more →

cloud & mobile technologies drive change in tax and accounting

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pro members: get the full 28-page report instant download.

[jwplayer mediaid=”24246″]

cloud and mobile top the list of emerging technologies transforming the tax and accounting profession, according to a new cch survey.

pro members click read more to download complete report

“we’re now at a point where all the benefits that have been talked about from emerging technologies are here – firms using these technologies today are seeing tremendous benefits in productivity and the value they can deliver to clients,” says kevin robert, president and ceo for wolters kluwer tax and accounting, which runs cch.

complete conference coverage: cloud & mobile technologies drive change in tax and accounting  |  how apple is changing your business  |  10 ideas to keep your firm moving forward  |

according to professionals surveyed, improved client service is the driving force behind their adoption of these emerging technologies, along with improved productivity and profitability.

pro members get the full 28-page report instant download:

read more →

the accountants’ first look at microsoft surface

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microsoft ceo steve ballmer introducing the surface tablet

and the plethora of new tablets. 

by randy johnston 
network management group 

randy johnston

microsoft surface has shipped, and i was one of the lucky people to get one of the very first units. we are going to see many new tablets released this fall including the ipad mini, which i have on order ($634.99), as well as the new ipad4 and replacements for the google nexus7 and samsung galaxy tab 2 that i own, like and use. the tablet operating systems, usability and applications improve daily. i am the most productive on a tablet with a keyboard, but that may not be true for you. my skin type requires touching a screen multiple times for the touch to be recognized. for example, it is normal right now that i have to touch my iphone 5 2-5 times for each character i type. this past friday, i counted 17 touches to type a single letter. interestingly, though, is that the microsoft surface has not required me to touch the screen multiple times. i’m not sure if there is a technology difference that makes this touch actually work, or if it is something else, but it is fun to have a correctly working touch surface!

it is helpful for you to know that i have used every apple ipad and every apple iphone since release. i “get” how apple’s technology is supposed to work.

for business purposes, the microsoft surface may be a better product.
but should you wait?

read more →

revenues on the rebound for most u.s. cpas

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billing rates and partner incomes gaining strongly.

most cpa firms are reporting some measure of revenue growth, according to one widely followed survey obtained by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

“and while the profession has yet to rebound to pre-recession levels,” the authors say, “it is steadily gaining momentum.”

furthermore, the smallest firms appear to be the biggest winners, with 33% growth in net client fees per professional and per partner.

the report includes data and trends on:

  • increase in net fees
  • fees per partner
  • net remaining per partner
  • average partner billing rates
  • average partner compensation
  • utilization rates
  • paid time-off
  • firm technology
  • online technology

read more →

how to make an extra $72,000 by working smarter

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if you own or manage a small cpa firm, you can’t ignore effective workflow management.  if you do, you are losing money, clients, and your sanity. here’s one cpa’s story.

by frank stitely, cpa, cva

every year around the middle of tax season, the following telephone conversation happens in small cpa firms, probably yours as well.  you or one of your staff picks up the telephone to hear, “i’m calling to check on the status of my tax returns.  i dropped them off in february and haven’t heard from you since.”

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accounting firm leaders agree: the cloud is here

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90% already using saas for some work.

by rick telberg

the debate, if there ever was one, is over.

the leadership at virtually every mainstream accounting firm in the us. now recognizes that they are already using software-as-a-service or “cloud-based” software applications and they regard the move to the cloud as inevitable for the profession.

according to new survey results, they differ only on when, and how fast.

read more →

the powerful mega-trends behind the upheaval at sage software

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sage’s one-brand cloud strategy is built on a tidal wave of change.

sage na ceo pascal houillon addresses 3,500 attendees at sage summit 2012

by rick telberg

it would be an understatement to say that the accounting software mavens arriving for the 2012 sage software convention were in a skeptical mood. at last year’s meeting, they were told that some of the products they know and support (and sometimes love) — like mas 90, peachtree, and accpac — are disappearing under a single sage label.

it was a long time in coming. the company, with roots in the 1990’s in state of the art and best, was built through almost helter-skelter acquisitions without merging and consolidating brands, nor even marketing departments, r&d efforts and support departments.

complete sage summit coverage and analysis:

now all that is changing. and it’s about the cloud, subscription pricing and a wrenching transformation to a new business model. the question for sage’s resellers: can sage deliver? the question for sage’s accountant partners: can they keep up?

read more →